Arnav followed Khushi inside the room as he looked around, it was beautiful, it dint have much but it was simple and nice. She sat down on the bed as Arnav kept on standing in front of her staring at her, she patted on the space besides her gesturing him to sit so he nodded and sat down beside her.
It was after long he was this close to her, and being this close to her was making him feel really good, just at peace.
"So... tell me." He finally said, looking her into the eyes.
"What I am going to tell you Arnav, is the truth, whether you want to believe it or not is upon you, I don't have anything to really prove it but yeah it is what happened according to me." She said. Arnav just nodded nervously, he wasn't sure on what to expect or if the news was going to heal him or break him more than he already was.
"I dint sleep with your father Arnav. I mean it was pretty clear, you should have realized that on our wedding night, I was a virgin when I got married to you, I mean if I wasn't then I know you could have thought that, but I bled that day dint I? Dint that make you question anything even for once?" She asked. The truth he was trying to find was always right there in front of him.
"Khushi we live in the twenty first century, there are so many ways to make it look like you're a virgin, I just assumed you did something of such sort. I mean I dint have any problem whether you were one or not, trust me if you weren't involved with him and you weren't a virgin, it wouldn't have mattered to me, it did because it was my father, my problem was you getting involved with my father Khushi." Arnav said.
"And for the last time Arnav, I dint get involved with him! What you saw that night was true, maybe what you heard was true also but I can't be sure because I was asleep.
You know why I lived away from here all this years? Because dad found out what mom was trying to do, and he sent me to live with my aunt so he could keep be safe from whatever my mother was doing. My aunt was so strict she wouldn't even let me talk to a guy let alone be friends with or even sleep with one.
Since childhood, you are the one I have loved Arnav, I never knew if you felt anything towards me but for me you were always the one, even when I went away, I never felt the need to talk to any other guy out there or anything because I just... loved you that much.
I mean of course as I grew up, I sort of realized that what I was dreaming of wasn't going to happen, I used to follow everything about you in the magazines, read each and every article, cut out the pictures and save them." She smiled as she stood up and walked towards her cupboard, pulled out a cute tiny box and walked back with it.
She opened it and poured out all the pictures of him she had cut out from the magazines and saved them, Arnav picked them one by one as he looked at them in surprise. They were so many of them, all of them since he was a kid till he grew up, she must have really spent so much time collecting them.
"So yeah... it dint really matter to me you know, I knew nothing could ever happen between us but that dint stop me from loving you... and life was just pretty much normal and then one day... my mom came to visit me.
I hadn't seen her in years, neither had my father told me anything about her or why he even sent me to live with my aunt, I was just a child who had missed her mother so much.
She came to see me when my aunt wasn't around and she knew what I felt for you so she told me she was bringing me to your place to meet you. Look at me Arnav, the girl that loved you since childhood was told that she had the chance to meet the guy she loved, what did you expect her to do?
I came along with her, without asking her any other question, she brought me to your mansion but you weren't around, I kept asking about you and she told me you were out but you would be back soon then she told me, meanwhile I should meet your father so we went to his room, sat down, they offered me some drink, I think something was put into it because I don't even remember how I fell asleep or anything that happened after that.
I just remember waking up in the middle of night and not finding my mother there anymore, your father was asleep and it was scary for me, plus I had to get back home before my aunt came so I rushed out and headed back home right away.
So yes Arnav, maybe you heard sounds but maybe your father was doing it with someone else while I was asleep there, my dad told me that she had an affair with your dad, so maybe they did it and she left by the time you saw me there and maybe you thought I was the one sleeping with him."
"But why would she bring you all along and then just leave like that?" Arnav asked curiously.
"I don't know Arnav, I have been wondering the same since I found out the reason you hate me, but after that day I never saw her again, so I dint even get to ask my questions.
All I ever did was just love you Arnav, my whole life and when dad told me he wanted us to get married, I was so happy. All that innocence of mine, it wasn't fake Arnav, it was just a girl madly in love with you wanting to be loved back, like those fairytales you watch and read about, that's all I ever asked for." Khushi said sadly as tears kept rolling down her eyes.
Arnav just sat there in shock not knowing what to say anymore, this was why a apart of him always wanted to believe in her innocence, because she actually was, but all he did was take it away from her, so brutally.
"Why... why dint you tell me before Khushi?" He asked.
"How would I tell you Arnav? Until the day I decided to leave I dint even know why you hated me so much, you just kept on doing terrible things to me and I had no idea why.
I later talked to my father and he told me things and that's how the stories fit and I understood why you actually hated me.
The day I left I was so mad Arnav, I had found my husband on bed with some girl, how did you expect me to react? Just throw you an explanation like that? You dint even bother asking me why I did it if that's what you believe, you never asked me any question, you just assumed and believed things the way you wanted to.
You asked me what I would have done if I was in your place Arnav, yes I would have misunderstood to, I would have been so mad, but if I felt something dint fit in my beliefs, I would have at least questioned it.
Tell me Arnav, for all those days that we were together, didn't you even for once think that maybe things weren't the way they seemed?"
"I did."
"Then why didn't you question that? Why didn't you try to find out things Arnav? You just decided to hurt me and punish me for the things you believed happened and I... just... I took it because no matter what I loved you." Khushi broke down completely. Arnav moved closer to her immediately wrapping his arm around her should and hugging her tight.
"I am so sorry Khushi. I have been such a jerk to you, I treated you so horribly, you didn't deserve any of it." Arnav apologized.
*****
Tara and Rohan were just seated in the hall silently still waiting for Arnav and Khushi to come out, Rohan just kept on staring at her while she did all she could to avoid looking at him.
"Tara, why can't we also talk like adult? Just once please?" Rohan asked.
"Because I don't want to Rohan. It's been years, we dated it was great until you started taking me for granted, I kept loving you stupidly and then I decided it was high time I left and now I've moved on, I don't want to visit the past once again." Tara said.
"Not even for love?"
"Which love are you talking about Rohan, you never loved me, if you did you wouldn't just make everyone else your priority but me."
"If I dint love you I wouldn't be here right now trying to talk things out Tara! If I dint love you, I wouldn't wake up each and every day with the motive of finding you and hoping that I was going to find you and apologize. We are humans, we make mistakes, I made one too, all I am asking for is forgiveness." Rohan looked at her sadly.
"Look Rohan, I agree whatever that was between us in the past even for a short while was really great but it ended. You loved me, you waited for me, I didn't. I moved on, I've date a couple guys and maybe someday I'll find the right one for me.
We tried us once, it dint work out and that was it, I don't want to try it again and live in the fear that one day you're going to take me for granted again, I've moved past it, I would like it to stay that way.
If you want my forgiveness you have it Rohan, we are great, I forgive you but I don't love you anymore Rohan and that's the truth."
"Not even a bit?" Rohan asked, his voice sounding so shaky.
"Not even a bit." She nodded negatively breaking his heart into pieces, he nodded as he stood up immediately and walked towards the window trying to hide the tears coming out from his eyes.
What did he thing, he was going to mess up, repent for years and find her and everything was going to be perfect? Tara was right, just because he kept on loving her dint mean she also kept on loving him, this is real life, people move on and maybe she did, and that just broke his heart.
At least all this while he was searching for her there was a hope, but right now, there were no hopes left at all.
"You are right, I'm sorry I won't bring this up again and thanks for forgiving me." Rohan turned and looked at her pretending to smile.
*****
"I hope you'll have your peace now." Khushi said as she broke the hug and wiped off her tears.
"Now you know the actual truth, you won't have any thoughts haunting you, I hope it helps in making you feel better." She smiled.
"Thank you for telling me Khushi." Arnav nodded.
"I wasn't sure you were going to believe me, I mean all this years you have believed I was wrong so it was difficult to expect you to believe."
"Maybe if I hadn't gotten married to you I wouldn't believe you, but after we got married, you made me question things a lot of time, I just dint question myself enough, so I guess that's what made it easier for me to believe this.
Thank you for giving me the closure I needed, I will always be grateful to you. I mean after what I did, you would have just decided not to tell me and let me suffer but you chose not to, I appreciate it."
"I think we should head out now, Tara and Rohan and are there." Khushi said. Arnav nodded as he walked out of the room finally, Tara was seated on the sofa while Rohan stood there looking at her.
"Is everything okay?" Rohan asked as he walked towards Khushi and looked at her worriedly.
"Yeah." Khushi faked a smiled.
"Do you need a hug?" Rohan asked, she nodded immediately so Rohan held her into his arms for a while, as for Arnav, he just turned to look the other way, he wished he could have been the one to make her feel better but all he ever did was just hurt her.
"Anyway I'll leave, thank you for everything." Arnav said after a while when Khushi and Rohan broke the hug.
"I think I'll leave to, I need to be alone for a while? I'll see you tomorrow at work?" Rohan asked Khushi.
"Okay." She nodded to the both of them, Arnav grabbed his things and headed out of the door followed by Rohan, they both waited beside the elevator awkwardly.
"Did you believe what she told you?" Rohan asked, Arnav looked at him in confusion and then nodded.
"If you did, why are you leaving? Aren't you going to try and win her back?" The elevator door opened as they both stepped in.
"She deserves better than a guy that constantly mistreated her because of his own misunderstandings." Arnav smiled faintly.
"Don't you love her?" Rohan asked. The door opened once again as they both stepped out.
"I don't know... I just never really looked at her that way. I mean of course when we were married, there were a lot of times when I did a lot of things and questioned myself but I don't think I can call it love. Maybe our journeys were until here, I mean I still need to ask for forgiveness in a proper way, but I knew she needed to be alone for now so I let her be.
Once she if fine, I'll do all I can and then let her live the life she chose, it's the least I can do after everything." Arnav said.
"You two are the most complicated people I've ever met." Rohan shrugged, Arnav just laughed slightly as he walked away, got into his car and drove off.